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goryainov-1986 – :
UPDATE: I received the Long Lost EDP version and it was like a pastel watercolor copy of Wheatfield with Crows. You could see the shapes but it lacks the soul power gravitas of the original.
On a more positive note – it’s still better than the one marketed under the Irma Shorrell label.
tircik – :
Just a note about “Long Lost Perfumes” and Erma Shorell and Bakir.
I was told that they had bought the name and formula from Germaine Monteil, hence the use of the original motif. It is not a rip-off of Germaine Monteil. (Long Lost Perfumes also has the rights to other vintage perfumes and formulas that they have resurrected.
I used to have the original Bakir back in the 70’s…and I have the current Bakir…which I love, because it’s a bit lighter making it a little more wearable. None of these modern day perfumes can hold a candle though, to those old vintage ones, simply because the natural fixatives like Civet, Ambergris and Musk have been replaced with synthetics. I see time and time again the complaint about sillage and the lack of long lasting fragrances in this day and age. Of course that is to be expected with synthetics.
bvw823Unlogrere – :
I loved the original in the 1970/80’s and bought the Irma Shorel version as a collector. This is only the second time I have worn it and find , from my memory, it is nothing like the Germaine Monteil version.
I am male and wear anything if it suits my skin. This is pungent yet sweet and has none of the exotic spiciness of the previous offering.
It is very long lasting and I am happy with the performance although I wouldn’t wear it in warm weather or wear too much.
As regard to notes I find the floral element quite harsh at first but after a couple of hours it has a creamy, fruity sweetness that I can’t describe properly.
To make it a bit more masculine I layered it with one of my favourites, Yatagan by Caron. I,m afraid after an hour the Bakir overtook but at least I tried.I will try laying with something else tomorrow, maybe a spicy Arabian oil.
In terms of longevity Bakir is a long laster, still going strong after 6 hours but I feel I may have a love/ hate relationship with this version. If you are buying this all I can say it is uniqu and economical but use sparingly as possibly offensive to others in an enclosed space e.g office or public transport!!.
aladdin – :
Irma Shorell version: For some reason, some online sellers are referring to this as the Raphael version, even though that name is not on the box nor bottle. The picture above is not what I have, which is more of a rectangular shape, though the bottle is also rather plain-looking. I revisited my vintage EdC sample recently, and decided to take a chance on the Irma Shorell version, because this is unique and I figured I could get most of my money back if I decided to sell it. Now, onto the scent…
Compared to the EdC, this seems a bit more “transparent,” though still not transparent in terms of contemporary sensibilities. The smell is closer than I thought it would be, and doesn’t seem “sticky,” the way some reformulations do. When I smell it up close on the skin, it smells really good, which I usually take to mean “high quality ingredients,” whether or not that’s actually the case. Overall, you get just about all of the vintage “bells and whistles” that you are probably seeking, but it feels just a bit lighter and not quite as deep/rich. I’m impressed with this formulation, relative to most other reformulations I’ve tried – does anyone know when this formulation may have been produced? A niche company could market this for $200 per 100 ml or so, I have no doubt!
NOTE: At the moment, the Perfume Emporium site has the one that I purchased in stock, and you can see a picture of the version I have. There is a fairly long list of ingredients, but oakmoss and tree moss are not among these.
UPDATE: I noticed on the Long Lost Perfume web site there is a picture of the bottle I have (sold out there), with this list of notes:
Bakir Perfume has top notes of galbanum, raspberry, ciste-labdanum, bergamot, petitgrain. Mid-notes of heliotrope, geranium, lavender, jasmin, orange flower, rose, pimento, nutmeg. Dry down notes of oakmoss, vanilla, cedarwood, musk, frankencense, sandalwood, patchouli.
neft1974 – :
I just purchased the LLP version, though I feel a bit deceived since the Moorish motifs and typeface on the packaging were very similar to the original. Buyer beware!
Having said all that, I do have the elegant “designer imposter” version, and it’s gorgeous! Hard to describe: slightly spicy oriental, but there’s a note in there that is unique among all (check my frag profile and you’ll see what I mean by “all”) the fragrances I have. It must be the galbanum?
I know I’m not being helpful, but I am astounded by this beauty.
Being the stubborn sort, I just bought some original perfume to compare apples and apples. Based on the rapturous reviews of the original and my own sniffings of the LLP, I might need to find a mountain to climb to honor fragrance perfection.
borjn – :
I found a full bottle at an antique market for a pittance, and to my utter disappointment, I think this little darling has endured some Texas summers in a hot place and is no longer wearable. It has a very strong scent, but it has not evolved, and seems like it was ruined. I’m so disappointed, but I’m happy to at least have the bottle. I’ll continue to hope I will come across a bottle of Bakir still retaining its original properties.
Zark – :
I was attracted to LLP Bakir because of the oakmoss note,and my bottle of Royal Secret needed replacing. Autumn and winter are the only seasons for me to wear this gem in central Texas. It took a few minutes to develop beyond the “hot spicy chili” opening into the softer spicy florals and sandalwood. I’m trying to isolate the raspberry note and not succeeding. Never having tested the original I can’t compare. I like it just the way it wears two spritz only.
Shevachen – :
Hello fellow Bakir death mourners. I have been a member of your ranks for years and years.
When the Irma Shorell version came out, I bought a bottle of the edt, with high hopes. Unfortunately, only the strongest notes have any lasting power.
But I reread your reviews and decided to try again!! I just purchased the Long Lost version in EDP!! I truly hope that it is closer to the original than what I bought earlier!!!!!
I will let you know how it is when it arrives.
I remember all those years ago how dumbfounded I was when the SA told me that they didn’t sell Bakir anymore!! I was young, very new to the world of “real” perfumes, but somehow I had stumbled upon this heavy, heavy gem and had fallen in love! I wish that I still had that last cannister with the copper and blue patterns . . . it was all that I could afford, but I did it on my student’s salary.
chaika – :
Truly, there seems to be nothing like the orginal Bakir; I know because I’ve tried literally THOUSANDS of scents trying to approximate it (and heaven only knows how much money I’ve spent!). Give me the person who made the decision to discontinue this treasure and I will give you his/her head on a silver platter. WHY in the world were Galore and Royal Secret saved while Bakir, Germaine, Champagne, and Regime were thrown out with the bath water? Most of the old Monteil fragrances occupy a special place in my heart and in my snout. Today I’m wearing Champagne, and after all these years, it’s still incredible. Solid proof that only the good die young.
CemsCeraliess – :
I still own 3 bottles of the ORIGINAL Bakir Perfume and two bottles of ORIGINAL cologne.. When it was discontinued I began treating it like gold. I keep it tightly capped and in the dark so it is still the fabulous scent it was then. I, also, have the LLP version. It just doesn’t quite make it. I am combining perfumes to try to get something closer to the original than than what is available now. Bakir lasts over 24 hours on me. If anyone knows of a perfume that is closer to the original than the LLP version I’d love to know what it is. Otherwise I will continue to cherish the last of my treasured original.
Luckmanddp – :
I received the Long Lost Perfume version. It is a little softer then the original one and as beautiful as the original one.
WelmInheree – :
I’ve only tried the original. It’s actually not too far from Kouros, but it’s lacking honey and is less complex, though it has a strong woody quality lacking in Kouros. It’s a bit creamy too, so that there is obvious “dirty jasmine” and woods, but underneath that is a heavily blended quality that is somewhat powdery (I guess the heliotrope is largely responsible for it). I don’t like the smell but it’s natural and good quality. Several hours in and there is a kind of clean musky/smokiness that’s really good. However, I’m not sure it’s good enough to warrant dealing with the opening I find unpleasant. Note that there is that burnt lavender type note, in case you dislike it. Though not that similar to this, another idea is Unforgettable by Revlon (vintage), if you too don’t like the opening of Bakir but want an “old school” fragrance with a nice sandalwood/incense base. The closest to Bakir I can think of overall is vintage Balahe.
UPDATE: This is an interesting fragrance. When I let it come up to the nose, it has that “clean” smoky/incense quality I mentioned, but when I used my hand to waft it up to my nose it is more like Balahe (“dirty” and heavier). This may be due to getting a little on my shirt, but whatever it is, keep this in mind if you are able to sample it.
Foma.1 – :
I have been using the LLP version for several years. It’s OK and as close as I can get to the heavenly fragrance of the original. I am still searching for something closer to the original, but nothing quite makes it. I found some unopened bottles of bakir Perfume in antique malls and unopened body powder as well. So I treat them like gold. I doubt I’ll find anymore anywhere. If anyone finds a fragrance like the original Bakir, please let us all know.
ZesteJalsefer – :
The LLP version is actually more true to the original than the AL version. A difference between the original and LLP is that original Bakir gets right down to the wonderful bottom notes very quickly, and it takes LLP a few hours to work past the green notes and down to the “pay-off” notes (as I call them) that make your eyes roll back in your head.
Doopdindfilia – :
Does anyone know how the Ava Luxe version of Bakir compares with Long Lost Perfume’s Bakir? I see they’ve started making an EDP as well as the previous EDT at LLP, but nothing I’ve tried really compares to the original. Any suggestions?
shahter33 – :
Does anybody know any fragrance that smells close to Bakir? It was such a unique perfume and it’s been stuck in my brain since the 1970’s. Nothing else seems to compare.
kyaster – :
Bakir was my first love. I fell for it at 20 — I bathed myself in it, rinsed my hair in it, loved everything about it. I adored it until it was discontinued (with no notice, leaving me with a small purse-sized metal flask with persian-inspired decorate, which I still have).
My first husband, Afghani, laughed his head off when I told him the name of it — apparently, in Dari, ba = of, and kir = penis. Though, that’s likely what we all want from our perfume, isn’t it?
I bought the long-lost, but it’s just not the same. Maybe I’ve changed, or my skin’s changed, but it’s blah. I haven’t loved a fragrance like that since…
rozen1977 – :
I’m sniffing the original as I type, my own bottle from around 1980. So little is left that I list it as “had” rather than “have”.
There’s an “old” smell of deep forest in fall or spring and the sour animalic sharpness of forest creatures both big and small does definitely run through it.
Original Bakir is like the thick dark stuff that’s left in the bottom of an old & much-loved bottle of perfume. The color of Long Lost’s juice is way too pale compared to the original but Juliette’s review sounds as if she sniffed the real thing! I really LIKE it and I agree with her description.
Kterhark is right: send for a vial of the original juice, for the experience. Then do as I’m going to and get a bottle of the new stuff to actually wear. There’s nothing quite like it around anymore and it seems a shame to let this become a memory when there’s new juice that comes so very close.
leosko – :
(ORIGINAL REVIEW, not Long Lost’s version)
I’ve been on a kick lately to try discontinued, classic fragrances, and Bakir was one I chose because of the notes. I htink this was marketed to men, but for the first time I can say this is truly unisex.
im really loving this one. (Sample bought from The Perfumed Court) to me it wears ‘high’, as in , I don’t get the heavier, earthy base notes. It also wears ‘wet’, and I”m not sure what spice is causing this but there is a definite bite happening here.
this is plain classy. I’m not sure if i would wear this in a conservative setting, this is more for my private appreciation. There is nothing I can compare Bakir to because it is unique, and considering I’ve now sampled over 250 perfumes that is saying something.
Eventually I will try the Long lost version to see how it compares to the original. But if you are reading this as a perfume lover interested in something noteworthy, by all means shell out the $10 to give this a try.
muguch – :
This makes a great oriental for the summer. I’ve worn it during 90 degree muggy days and it was great. I don’t really consider it to be very “dark”. The raspberry top note carries thru all the way to the end on me. Normally, I hate any cologne with raspberry in it, but this is very well done and it is not a fruity cologne in any sense of the word. Very unique, a must-try.